5 Superstars Smackdown LIVE are Failing

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are all well and good! So it's been a little over a week since I jumped right back into blogging after taking a week and a half off to celebrate my birthday and have some family time. I have to admit that it has been a super long week and it's been tough getting back into a routine but it feels good, I love writing again and I'm slowly getting back on track. Throughout last week I spent a lot of time reviewing both SummerSlam twenty seventeen and NXT takeover Brooklyn three and of course all the links to those will be bellow at the end today, in one particular post (last Thursdays) I spoke about Smackdown LIVE and asked the questions whether or not the blue brand was making its way back to the top. The post was super fun to write and actually went down really well! If you read that then you will know that  also wrote a little paragraph entitled " superstars Smackdown LIVE are failing" and I kept it rather empty promising that I would write a full post on this specific topic, today is the day that that post comes to life. I have finally found the time and motivation to get this post done and I'm excited for you guys to read it. Smackdown LIVE is full of amazingly talented men and women all of which will go on to become leading faces of the WWE. So many of those superstars are currently doing amazing things! The likes of Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are killing it right now taking part in fantastic storyline's and feuds and competing in some of the best matches we have seen this year. However, there are a bunch of stars that are being totally misused and completely failed by the WWE. In today's blog post we are going to be taking a look at five of those stars and why I believe they deserve a heck of a lot better. If you would like a RAW addition of this post do let me know! As always, any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including my SummerSlam and NXT Takeover Brooklyn III review. Finally, you can let me know what you currently think of Smackdown LIVE and who you believe is being failed by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria. 

Rusev

I'm going to kick start today's blog post off with a name I'm really really passionate about, former United States Champion, Rusev. Over the years I have written plenty of blog post talking about this guy and I've gone on so many "why I love Rusev" rants over on twitter. The guy is the full package and why the WWE haven't pushed him to the stars yet still baffles me. From the moment I first set eyes on Rusev I could see his potential. With Lana by his side, a cool charter with room for development, amazing charisma and in ring skills that keep us surprised and entertained for hours RuRu proved very early on he was a star to keep your eyes on. Now, lets not pretend as though he hasn't had good moments because he has. He arrived on the main roster and dominated for the better half of a year. His run in NXT could have been a heck of a lot better but he was moved to the main roster pretty fast debuting at the Royal Rumble and kicking ass. He made an impact and over the next few months would dominant the stars of RAW and Smackdown. His debut months on the main roster was a time for Rusev to allow the fans to get a feel as to what he really is all about and it worked. We all hated him. He made a great heel and took out fan favorites such as Big E and Jack Swagger and would eventually move on to a US title reign where he's talents were shown even more and he began to feel like a much bigger deal. His feud with John Cena had it's highs and lows but was a turning point in his career. Pulling out matches I was calling potential match of the year candidates and taking part in a storyline that was hands down one of my favorites of the year Rusev was all I was talking about and I wanted to see more. He had a brilliant showing at Wrestlemania including that epic entrance but losing the title to Cena on the night was the start of his downfall. Of course it sparked the beginning of a brilliant run for the US title thanks to Cena but RuRu deserved that big Mania win and had he had that then maybe he would be in a better potion right now. Between the time he dropped the US title to Cena up until present day Rusev has continued to have good moments. He's been apart of solid matches, gotten way stronger on the mic, developed his character to new heights, became a huge fan favourite despite no alterations to his character and has even had a second US title reign however, in comparison to where he should be Rusev is nowhere near that mark and it's such a shame. With Lana no longer by his side and losing to Randy Orton at SummerSlam within literally seconds things are not looking good for the former champ. This is a man that should be taking part in WWE Championship matches and feuds, apart of the Money in the bank, a top name in the Royal Rumble but instead we sit here and say its been weeks since we last saw him on TV. Rusev is a young talent with a huge following who really does have it all. The WWE know he is capable of delivering top quality matches and his mic work and charisma means a feud can be made ten times more interesting with Rusev's presence. It's time the WWE woke up and see what they have in Rusev and give him that big push he deserves. Once you give him the opportunity Rusev will go on to do phemoenal things and I'd love to see him in lengthy matches against the likes of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. It could be magic. The WWE better sort their crap out before they lose him and seriously regret it.

Becky Lynch

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about this next entrant. I really wasn't sure whether or not to add Becky Lynch to this post and while she is seriously being mistreated right now I believe it won't last long and in a matter of months she'll be right back on track and the WWE will have a nice fresh push waiting for her. However, the facts remain the same, right now, on this day I feel as though Lynch is a talent the WWE are failing right now and she has to be added to the post today. I've always changed my mind on what I think and how I feel about Becky Lynch. Never the biggest fan of her character and criticized her matches for being pretty much identical I've never labeled myself a Becky Lynch fan, however, I will be the first to say she has crazy potential. A massive fan favourite Becky gets a huge reaction wherever she goes around the world. She's managed to capture the hearts of the WWE universe and fans see something in her thats really special and while I haven't personally jumped on board I can see where the hype comes from from a certain degree. She has a completely different look and style and she has it in her to really deliver in the ring. Her best match to date? Easily remains her NXT Women's championship match against Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover Unstoppable. Honestly, since then I haven't enjoyed any of her matches to that level. The fans clearly are not the only ones high on Lynch, this time last year Becky was the face of the Smackdown LIVE women's divison as the first women drafted to the brand and the first ever Smackdown LIVE women's champion but since that reign and her great feud with Alexa Bliss nothing really has been going for her. I haven't been entertained or hooked half as much as I was twelve months ago and her weekly booking is nothing to be excited about. I do strongly believe that the Smackdown LIVE women's divison has a lot of tiding up as a whole but Lynch is someone that gone from the very top to close to he bottom rather quickly and it's something I want to see change. Now, as I mentioned earlier, I do think things will turn around for Becky quick. She's still a huge fan favourite and I get the feel the WWE are still massively high on  her its just down to finding the right time and opportunity. In the meantime however there is nothing stopping them from throwing her in big, lengthy matches here and there to boost her momentum and keep has as a big talking point. In the future I look forward to seeing her collide with Shayna Baszler and Asuka in feuds and matches I believe could be massive standouts for Lynch and the divison and really turn things around for her.

The Ascension
If you know me you knew that there was no way I was going to write a blog post talking about superstars being failed and not include the Ascension. Long time readers of my blog will know all too well that I have been the biggest fan of Conor and Viktor from pretty much day one. These guys have been apart of the WWE for a very long time spending literally years down in developmental. When I first started watching NXT these guys were at the top of the game. They were the most dominant team on the roster and things the looks to be going very very good for them. I remember being so massively interested in these guys for so many different reasons but they had an old school feel and vibe to them yet felt so new and unique and it was fun. If you watched any of their work down in NXT you would have been apart of the club I was apart of, the "I believe the Ascension will go on to do amazing things" club and honestly we had every right to believe that. These guys were huge down in NXT! Crazy nominate, different,  massively over with the fans and we're killing it as the biggest names in the tag team divison. I honestly was so excited for their future and believed that up on the main roster these guys were about to change things up and become the biggest names on the main roster tag team divison.  But things didn't turn out as I and I'm sure the Ascension expected. Since their main roster debut the WWE have literally got everything wrong with them. From their debut feud/storyline, the change in their look and the matches, everything has been wrong and the two haven't been able to bounce back. Now, I do believe that things can improve and there is still time for these guys to make the impact they deserve. Their character is still something that can be a massive hit and nothing over the years has changed the fact that these guys are crazy talented. All the WWE need to do is book them right. Start doing little vignettes, target a certain tag team, have them build momentum, whatever it takes, these guys can still be big and I know for a fact I'll always back them. Please WWE, get it right with these guys ! They deserve SO much better.

Sami Zayn 
Up next we have the man that inspired me to write this blog post in the first place, the one and only, Mr Sami Zayn. As far as superstars the WWE as a whole are failing Sami Zayn pretty much tops the list to the point where its frustrating and embarrassing. Again, like many of the names I have mentioned in today's blog post I have spoken about Sami on a number of different occasions focusing on the same topic. Time and time again he has featured in so many posts both here on my blog and over on social media that have spoken about underutilized, mistreated and failed superstars and it's such a shame. Just like The Ascension, Sami Zayn was someone that watching NXT I was confident would go on to achieve amazing things because again he really does have it all. I've been following Zayn's career from way back before he'd even reached the WWE and so I've always been able to see his potential and know that he deserves and has had it in him to become a huge star in this industry. In all honesty his NXT run could not have been better. Aside from any injuries Zayn was the perfect NXT superstar and showed all the signs of eventually moving over to the main roster and having the same effect he had throughout his career already. Down in NXT he became the face of the brand and the most over talent on the roster. Constantly delivering top quality matches in phemoenal feuds against the likes of Kevin Owens, Tyler Breeze, Tyson Kidd, Samoa Joe, and of course Shinsuke Nakamura and will forever go down in history as an NXT all time great. The thing about Zayn is he's everything the WWE want in a top baby face, the guy is just so damn likable having the Daniel Bryan vibe in the sense that we all just really like him. He's the underdog, the good guy, the passionate and driven superstar we can all get behind but for some reason the WWE haven't gotten behind him in the slightest and it's crazy to think he doesn't have a main roster title run behind him yet. The guy is a killer in ring performer and over the years we have seen him compete in some epic matches against the likes of John Cena, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and more. If the WWE give him the chance and the right opportunity Zayn could be the biggest baby face in wrestling today. All it takes is time, the right storyline and the right opponent. The WWE would be stupid to carry on failing Zayn to the level they have been doing so. He's one of the best all round superstars they have and clearly deserves much much better.

Mike Kanellis 

And finally we have a guy that I really wanted to mention today; at first I was going to conclude this post mentioning Luke Harper but you guys know how I feel about Harper, and I've written about him a million times before so I thought I'd do something a little different and talk about another superstar I'm really passionate who deserves a spot in this post today. Mike Kanellis is actually someone I

haven't spoken about a lot here on my blog at all even before he arrived in the WWE but trust me I really am a big fan of his and I wish I had more of a reason to write about him far more often and that really is one of the issues I'm having. Mike is yet another all round star who the WWE just aren't using at all. Since he arrived in the WWE the guy has literally done next to nothing and his booking has been terrible and unfortunately I can see him slowly heading down jobbers avenue and he deserves way way better. When it was announced and Marie would be arriving on Smackdown LIVE I honestly was super excited! He's always had so much potential, he's run outside of the WWE saw him work some amazing matches, strong storylines and he really proved to be an interesting and exciting character in the industry.  Looking everything he has done throughout his career leading up to this point I really did believe that he would go on to do amazing things in the WWE and really shine on the Smackdown LIVE roster. However, he just hasn't really done anything. I do believe that like Becky Lynch its only a matter of time an we're just waiting for the right opportunity. I still believe that they can really have him make an impact and I do believe he has it in him to really standout on the roster, the best option for now however may be to send him down to NXT. He and Marie have a brilliant gimmick that with the right direction could really work but right now the WWE really are failing him and its such a shame, this was not what I was expecting.

And that is my list! I had so much fun writing this post and in a couple of weeks time I will be uploading my RAW version of this post, for now however,any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including my SummerSlam and NXT Takeover Brooklyn III review. Finally, you can let me know what you currently think of Smackdown LIVE and who you believe is being failed by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria. 

Recent Blog posts:
What I really thought of the WWE Mae Young Classic
This weeks RAW and Smackdown LIVE Highlights
5 Ways the WWE Can Save Bray Wyatt
Last Week in Wrestling